Training Series on “School Nutrition and Food Safety” in Cau Giay, Truong Cong Giai, Yen Hoa and Nghia Do: A Season of Building Safer, More Scientific School Meals
From April to September 2026, the Sustainable and Nutritious School Food pilot project — implemented by the Center for Development of Community Initiative and Environment (C&E) and funded by Rikolto — worked with the Culture and Social Affairs Divisions of Cau Giay, Yen Hoa and Nghia Do wards, as well as Truong Cong Giai Secondary School, to hold four consecutive training sessions on nutrition, food safety and building school meal menus. The sessions drew hundreds of school administrators, teachers, canteen staff and meal-supply companies from across the area.
April 24, 2026 — Cau Giay Ward: Kicking off the series during National Food Safety Action Month
The first session, held at the Cau Giay Ward People’s Committee, drew more than 250 delegates. In her opening remarks, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy of the Culture and Social Affairs Division noted the project’s three years of impact, explaining that its menus had been tested and refined based on feedback from school leaders, teachers, health staff, parents, students and kitchen staff before finalization. Project coordinator Dao Thi Dieu Linh gave delegates an overview of the Sustainable and Nutritious School Food project.
Dr. Luu Quoc Toan (food safety expert, lecturer at Hanoi University of Public Health) presented on one-way kitchen workflows, the three-step food inspection process, 24-hour food sample retention, and the use of quick test kits (for borax, formaldehyde and food dyes) to help schools take proactive control of incoming food quality. Ms. Vuong Thi Ho Ngoc then guided attendees through menu-building standards and introduced a set of 10 menus developed in 2025 on a non-repeating two-week cycle.
During the discussion, Ms. Duong Thu Hang of Rikolto stressed the importance of publishing menus so parents can adjust meals at home accordingly. Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Nhan, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division, closed the session by highlighting Vietnam’s “double burden” of malnutrition and calling on schools to tighten food traceability and monitor kitchen staff health.
May 8, 2026 — Truong Cong Giai Secondary School: A dedicated session for the school’s teaching staff
Unlike the larger, ward-level multi-school sessions, the “Food Hygiene and Safety” training on May 8 was held on-site at Truong Cong Giai Secondary School, for the school’s entire teaching staff — one of the four secondary schools piloting the Sustainable and Nutritious School Food project. Ms. Dao Thi Dieu Linh again introduced the project to the faculty, helping teachers understand its goals and how to coordinate on nutrition and food safety at their own school in the new academic year.
May 14, 2026 — Yen Hoa Ward: 400 delegates review foodborne disease data
The session in Yen Hoa Ward drew 400 delegates — the largest turnout of the series — with Ms. Do Minh Ngoc (Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division) and Ms. Phan Thi Van Anh (division specialist) taking part. Ms. Dao Thi Dieu Linh was also present to introduce the project to attendees.
Dr. Luu Quoc Toan again presented on school kitchen food safety, this time adding World Health Organization (WHO) figures: roughly 600 million foodborne illness cases occur worldwide each year, with 30% of resulting deaths among children under five; in Vietnam, 499 food poisoning incidents were recorded between 2019 and 2024, affecting 10,909 people and causing 116 deaths. He introduced the 10-step process under Official Dispatch 1816/SGDĐT-CTTT-HSSV and stressed the role of parental oversight and separating waste collection from food preparation areas.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thi Nhung (Head of Nutrition at Mat Troi Hospital, former Head of School and Occupational Nutrition at the National Institute of Nutrition) analyzed Vietnam’s “double burden” of malnutrition: the overweight/obesity rate among children aged 5–19 rose from 8.5% in 2010 to 19.0% in 2020, with the sharpest increase in urban areas. She warned that overweight and obesity can lead to early puberty, lipid disorders and hypertension, and argued that school menus must be tailored to each school’s specific context rather than following a single template — while introducing the National Institute of Nutrition’s new 2025 food pyramid.
September 10, 2026 — Nghia Do Ward: Closing the series with 20 sample menus and real-world school experience
The final session, held at the 2nd-floor Hall of the Public Administration Service Point in Nghia Do Ward, again featured Dr. Luu Quoc Toan (updating the 2019–2024 data, showing microorganisms as the cause in 38.9% of cases, natural toxins in 28.0%, chemicals in 2.9%, and 30.2% unidentified) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thi Nhung (covering age-specific energy needs and practical skills for reading and checking menu quantities).
Project coordinator Dao Thi Dieu Linh introduced the project and unveiled a set of 20 nutritionally balanced sample menus developed in 2024–2025, along with reference materials for students and teachers. Nghia Tan Secondary School — one of four schools piloting the project — shared its firsthand experience applying the menus and integrating nutrition education into its curriculum, offering a vivid, practical perspective for attendees.
What tied the four sessions together
Across all four sessions, Ms. Dao Thi Dieu Linh was nearly always on hand to introduce the Sustainable and Nutritious School Food project to attendees, helping ensure a consistent message across the different venues. Two technical themes ran throughout: school kitchen food safety and building nutritionally balanced menus, with Dr. Luu Quoc Toan a recurring presence. Every session highlighted Vietnam’s “double burden” of malnutrition (overweight and obesity alongside micronutrient deficiency), the essential role of coordination between schools, parents and food suppliers, and the recommendation that schools proactively use quick test kits and follow strict traceability procedures.
